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3 UAE universities suspend registration of students

Dubai - Three private universities in the UAE have received a severe blow just weeks ahead of the new academic year.

 Three private universities in the UAE have received a severe blow just weeks ahead of the new academic year. The UAE education authorities have suspended registration of students for one year at the institutes on the grounds of their relatively weak performance.

The three local private universities - Al Hosn University Abu Dhabi, Al Jazeera University Dubai, and the University of Modern Sciences (UMS) Dubai - have been placed under probation by the Ministry of Education (MoE).

Speaking to Khaleej Times on Tuesday, Professor Hesham Azmi, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Jazeera, said it is taking the news very seriously and is working to alleviate the issue.
 
"The university has been working on resolving all the issues raised by the External Review Team (ERT) members and we are working towards achieving excellence in all domains of operation by the university."
Furthermore, he said the University has already started an aggressive reform plan to address all academic concerns and has attracted very well qualified faculty in all colleges starting in the fall. 

The news comes after it was revealed that a global panel of experts had put together a report following a review of the universities. All three were deemed not up to scratch or to the level of other private universities in the UAE. 

Speaking about the reform plan, Prof. Azmi said these new additions are expected to have a "very positive impact on all colleges", both academically and administratively.  

"The College of Law - which has only a few observations - will continue working to enhance its good status. Also, all issues pertaining to IT infrastructure and library resources are being resolved."
 
With more than one thousand students currently enrolled at the university, he reiterated one clear message to them.

"The probation will not affect the existing students who are pursuing their academic programs in a normal manner. However, the probation will definitely have a negative impact on the graduates as it ruins the University image. We sincerely hope that this situation will be altered in the very near future to give UOJ the opportunity to restore the excellent reputation it used to entertain."

The MoE has stated no new admission of students will be allowed at either of the named universities for one year, after they were found to be below the required university level.

Ahmed Belhoul, Minister of State for Higher Education was quoted as saying:

"The Ministry is responsible not only for granting licenses to universities but also for the evaluation of education institution to ensure they abide by the required criteria."

Speaking on the phone to Khaleej Times, Dr Sanaa Ashour, assistant professor at Al Khawarizmi International College, an Abu Dhbai based private college, welcomed the news.

"I think this is a strong message for the private sector that quality overrides quantity at every level. This is where the focus needs to be."

Ashour recently authored a report on the quality of higher education in the UAE which was published in the Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management.

She said this will have a positive impact on the UAE's education sector.

"In my view it proves that quality assurance is strong here, and shows that the Ministry of Education is exerting restrictions on private universities to ensure they comply with the highest standards."

The Ministry has since passed on the observations gained from the report to the universities so as they can work to improve their status over the next 12 months.

Former student of UMS, Haya Alnims, recently graduated with a Bsc in Biotech from the university. Unaware of the news, she said she was shocked.

"I am very proud to be a graduate of UMS. I know only one thing, UMS is a very successful university and most of their graduated students are now working in big companies in both the private and government sector which I believe speaks volumes."

Five universities in the UAE are now on probation, including Ittihad University Ras Al Khaimah and Maktoum bin Hamdan Dental University College in Dubai.

Questioned as to whether this will negatively affect the attitudes towards higher education in the UAE, Ashour strongly disagreed.

"This will not affect the reputation of higher education in the UAE, it will further reiterate that standards must be upheld by private institutions. If they are not, they will face evaluation."

Going forward, she said it is within the best interests of the targeted universities to comply with the standards.

"I am unsure as to what concerns have been highlighted so I can't really suggest how to improve their status. But it may be to do with the standard of service of standard of programmes. It could be a number of issues."

However, she did state that all universities should ensure that hopeful university applicants are fit for submission and comply with the admission requirements set out by the university. Kelly@khaleejtimes.com

The Universities under review:

1. University Of Jazeera, Dubai

Founded: 2008

Admission requirements:
- Certified copy of Secondary school certificate
- Health fitness certificate
- Written pledge by the applicant to comply with the UoJ roles and regulations
- TOEFL with grade 500 minimum or IELTS with grade 5.0 minimum for Business Administration or IT Programs.

2. Al Hosn University, Abu Dhabi:


Founded: 2005

Admissions Requirements:
Al Hosn requires a UAE General Secondary School Certificate or its equivalent as certified by the UAE Ministry of Education with a minimum overall average of 60 per cent. The below programs have other explicit admissions requirements:

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences
UAE Secondary School Certificate (SSC) or its equivalent as approved by UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with a minimum overall achievement of 75%.

Faculty of Business & Faculty of Art and Social Sciences
UAE Secondary Certificate (SSC) or its equivalent as approved by UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with a minimum overall achievement of 70%.

*Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirement for direct may be considered for conditional admission upon evaluation


3. University of Modern Sciences (UMS), Dubai


Founded: 2010

Admission requirements:

-Military service report (only for Emirati citizen students)
-High school certificate.
-Emirati high school certificate.

The attestation should be certified by ministry of education in the state with a total 60 per cent, otherwise the student shall pass the foundation program, which is their ticket to the academic study.